Carton construction and method of making the same



' Nov. 24, 19 59 A. K. SCRIVEN, JR ,913,967

C 0N CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME I Filed April 10, 1958 v ALBERT K. SCRIVENDy,

BY BLAlR dnd SPENCER ATTORNEYS Nov. 24, 1959 A. K. SCRIVE-ZN, JR

CARTON CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 10, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

ALBERT K. SCRIVEN Jr.

lA/VE/VTOR B) BLAIR 0nd SPENCER ATTORNEYS Nov. 24, 1959 smvsu, JR 2,913,967

CARTON CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 10, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 g i ALBERT K. scRwENar;

\ INVENTOR IQ Br BLAIR and SPENCER X ATTORNEYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A. K. SCRIVEN, JR

CARTON CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Nov. 24, 1959 Filed April 10, 1958 ALBERT K. SCRIVEN Jr,

INVENTOR BY BLAIR 'Ol'ld SPENCER ATTORNEYS United States Patent CARTON CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Albert K. Scriven, Jr., Beverly, Mass., assignor to S. Curtis and Son, Inc., Sandy Hook, Conn.

Application April 10, 1958, Serial No. 727,626

8 Claims. (Cl. 93-36) This invention relates to a quickly-er'ectable box construction in which, upon erection, the end flaps are snapped into place to abut retaining strips on adjacent panels to be held in place thereby. The invention is particularly directed to a method for accurately locating these retaining strips and to a blank which is suitable for use in the practice of this method.

A principal object of my invention is to provide an improved method of constructing a quickly-erectable box in which an end flap is held in the erected position by a retaining strip secured to a panel adjacent said flap. Another object of my invention is to provide a box blank which may be efficiently utilized in practicing the above method. A further object is to provide an improved method of quickly and accurately locating and securing such a retaining strip in a box of the above character. A still further object of my invention is to provide a method of the above character which may be practiced in straight-line gluing and folding machines or other machines in which the box blank is continuously in motion for high production rates. Yet another object of my invention is to provide a method of the above character which may be practiced with a minimum of special equipment. my invention is to provide a box blank of the above character which may be efiiciently formed with minimum wastage of stock. Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps' and relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the article possessing the features, properties, and relation of elements which are exemplified in thefollowing detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a quickly-erectable box with my invention incorporated therein,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the box of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a blank made A furtherobject of,

according to my invention which may be used in constructing the box shown in Figures 1 and 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the blank of Figure 3 showing the relation of the various parts after the retaining strip has been glued in place and severed,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the blank at a later stage of construction, after the end flap has been folded back to its original position subsequent to emplacement of the retaining strip,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the completed box prior to erection, and,

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 6-6 of Figure 2. a V

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, a box unit gen- 2,913,967 Patented Nov. 24, 1959 ICC 22a adjacent panel 10 which fit against retaining strips 28 and 30. Retaining strips 28 and 30 are secured to panel 10, thereby locking flaps 20 and 22 and end panels 16 and 18 in their upright erected position with the flaps disposed face-to-face in a manner presently' to be described in greater detail. The side panels 12 and 14 are also maintained in their upright positions by the retaining action of strips 28 and 30.

The erection of box 8 is a simple matter. Taking the box as shown invFigure 6, end panels 16 and 18 and flaps 20 and 22 are bent upwardly (Figure 1) into the erected position and in the same motion tab portions 20a and 22a are snapped into place behind retaining strips 28 and 30. This action also brings side panels 12 and 14 to their ultimate upper or erected position.

It will be apparent that for quick economical erection of the box and successful utilization thereof, the retaining strips 28 and 30 must be fastened quickly and securely to the panel 10 and located with a high degree of accuracy. Prior to my invention these strips were detached from a roll of suitable stock and then glued to the panel 10 by suitable machinery. Inordinate- 1y low production rates were required, since at reasonable rates the strips were often inaccurately placed, resulting in lack of room or too much room for the tab portions 20a and 22a. Faulty assemblies and costly rejections resulted. To minimize rejects movement of the boxes had to be stopped during placement of the retaining strips and this, of course, meant decreased output. Moreover, special machinery of little or no use for other purposes was necessary in the prior system, requiring additional capital investmentin machinery and floor space.

In the practice of my invention the retaining strips 28 and 30 are formed integrally with the end flaps 20 and 22. During construction of ;the box, glue is applied to the retaining strips, and the flaps are then folded over to bring the strips into contact with the bottom panel 10 for adherence thereto. The retaining strips are then severed from the flaps. The sizes of the various portions of the box blank, their locations with respect to each other and the locations of the hinge connections therebetween are all accurately determined during the formation of the blank in conventional cutting and creasing presses. Therefore, accurate locations of the retaining strips, determined by the folding of the end flaps, may be assured. Moreover, my method may,

be practiced on modified straight-line machines or other gluing or folding machines in which the blanks are in continuous motion with consequent high production rates.

More particularly, as seen in Figure 3, the box blank is formed with retaining strip 30 joined to end flap 22 by an integral connecting strip 32 disposed between the retaining strip and tab portion 22a. Retaining strip 28 (not shown in Figure 3) is connected to tab portion 20a (Figure 2) by a similar strip (not shown). Hinge connections between various parts of the blank are indicated by the uniformly dashed lines 33. Such hinges may be formed by scoring, perforating, creasing or otherwise weakening the blank in any suitable manner during the formation thereof. Inasmuch as the construction of Y the box being described is identical at both ends, portions end panels 18. Thus they comprise hingedly connected portions 34a and 34b and 36a'and 36b, portions 34b and 36b being connected to end panel 18 while portions 34a and 36a are connected to side panels 12 and 14, respectively. In. some circumstances portions 34b and 36b may, however, be entirely disconnected from end'panel 18' at this stage of construction in accordance with the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned copending application.

To emplace the retaining strip 30 on panel while constructing the box, glue is preferably first applied to area 10a on the latter panel (Figure 3). If they are severedfrom panel 18, corner portions 34b and 36b are then prefo'lded or prebroken downwardly (Figure 3) about axes C-C for a purpose tobe related and then released to spring back toward their original positions. Then flap 22 is folded over about'axis' A-A and strip 30 is pressed into'conta'ct' with area 10a for adherence to panel 10. It' will beapparent that area 1001' is chosen to" underlie strip 30 when flap 22 is folded over'aud such folding thus automatically brings the strip into adhering contact with panel 10. Next-connecting strip 32' is removed to sever retaining strip 30'*fromtab"portion 22a; Such removal may be accomplished'by a suitably located grinding or cutting wheel positioned to cut away the connecting strip without injuring the panel 10 therebeneath. The blank nowappears as illustrated-in Figure 4.

Next panels 18, 34 and 36 are folded upwardly (Figure 4) to prebreak on axis B-B. After such prefolding, these parts are released; however, they do not return to their original fiat positions (nor doportions 34b and 36b after their prefolding as described above), rather they remain somewhat bent in the direction of the'prefolding. Consequently, during erection these panels will tend to fold in the desired directions and assist erection. After such prefolding, panel 18= and flap 22 are opened out toward their original positions and side panels 12 and 14 are folded over about axis DD-to lie upon strip 30. This latter fold bringsportions 34b and 36b of the corner panels into contact with panel 18. If portions 34b and 36b were previously formed disconnected from end panel-18, they may at this juncture be glued or otherwise secured face-to-face therewith. Finally the end flaps and 22 are once more folded over about axis AA to lie upon side panels 12 and 14. Box 8, which then appears as-in Figure 6, is ready for shipment to the consumer, who may erect it in the manner described.

Reference to Figure 7'will now make apparent the function of the connecting strip 32 (Figure 3). During erection of box 8 the a and b portions of the corner panels 34 and 36 fold together about axis CC in the manner of a pleat; the folded corner panels ultimately lie flat against the interior (Figures 1 and 7) surface of panel 18 and are held thereagainst by flap 22. Retaining strip 30, by engaging tab portion 22a, locks flap 22 in this position and thereby maintains the boxin its erected state. From Figure 4 it may be seen that if connecting strip 32' were not removed, tab portion 22a would span the entire distance from retaining strip 30 to the axis BB about which end panel 18 is-rotated during erection. There would then be insufiicient room for portions 36a and 36b (Figure 7) between fiap- 22'and panel 18, Le. with corner panels 34 and 36 folded between panel 18 and flap 22, tab portion 22a would-extend over strip 30 rather than fit behind it. Removal of connecting strip 32, whose width approximately equals the thickness of the folded corner panels 34 and 36, thus provides sufficient space for these parts between the flap and end panel. Preferably the connecting strip is slightly wider than this to facilitate tucking of the tab portion 22a behind retaining strip-30, the corner panels are compressed and thereby force the tabportion-against the retaining strip to securely lock'the-various parts in position;

From the foregoing it can be seen that a high degree of accuracy is required in positioning the retaining strips and such accuracy is readily obtained with the method described above. In particular, when my method is employed, the retaining strips must adhere in their correct positions, since such positions are determined prior to the folding and gluing steps, i.e., when the box blank itself is formed. This latter operation may be performed with requisite accuracy on conventional machinery. Moreover, it will be further apparent that the application of glue to area 10a and the folding of the flap 22 are readily performed on continuously moving machinery; the strips may be made to adhere securely in such machinery; the strips may be made to adhere securely in such machinery by use of properly positioned compression rollers or other suitable-attachments which compress the strips against the panels to which they are fastened. The grinding or cutting instruments used to sever the retaining strips from the end flaps may also be attached to such machinery. Thus, my novel box blank is readily adapted to be operated upon by the above method at high production rates. Moreover, it is simple in design and is readily cut and creased on conventional cutting and creasing presses.

As used herein and in the claims, an end flap of a box is a flap retained in place by a retaining strip of the type described and an end panel is a panel connecting an end flap to a bottom or top panel of the box. The ends of a box are thus those sides having end panels, and it will be noted that the ends may thus'be longer or shorter than the other sides.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and, since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method and in the article set forth without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shownin the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that "the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetwcen.

I claim:

1. A method of accurately emplacing a retaining strip on a first panel of a quickly-erectable box having an end panel hingedly connected to said first panel and an end flap hingedly connected to said end panel, said retaining strip being located to retain said flap and end panel in their erected positions by engaging a right angle tab portion onsaid flap, said method comprising the steps of forming a' blank with said hinge connections formedtherein and with said retaining strip integral with said flap, folding said flap about its hinge connection to said end panel to bring said retaining strip into contact with said first panel, securing said retaining strip to said first panel in said location, and severingsaid strip from said end flap.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said severing step includes the removal of a narrow strip of material from between said retaining strip and said tab portion, thereby to compensate for the disposition of other parts of said box between said end flap and end panel when they are in their erected positions.

3. A method of constructing a boxv in which, after erection, retaining strips secured to a first panel thereof retain end flaps in place by abutting tab portions of said flaps and thereby maintain said box in its erected position, said method comprising the steps of forming a blank with first and second side panels, first and second hinge connections between said side panels and said first panel, first and second end panels, third and fourth hinge connections be tween said first and second end panels and said first panel, first and second en p fi th and sixth'hinge-counections between said end flaps and said end panels, said end flaps having tab portions, seventh and eighth hinge connections connecting said tab portions to said flaps, said first and second hinge connections being substantially parallel to each other, and said third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth hinge connections being substantially perpendicular to said first and second connections, said retaining strips being formed along sides of said tab portions parallel to said seventh and eighth hinge connections, folding said end flaps about said fifth and sixth hinge connections to bring said retaining strips into contact with said first panel at preselected locations, securing said retaining strips to said first panel at said locations, severing said strips from said end flap, folding said end flaps back to their original positions, and folding said side panels over about said first and second hinge connections to overlie said retaining strips.

4. The method defined in claim 3 in which said connecting strips are glued to said first panel.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said blank is formed with connecting strips between said tab portions and said retaining strips and in which, during said severing step, said connecting strips are removed, thereby to compensate for the interposition of other parts between said end flaps and said end panels.

6. A method of securing a retaining strip on a first panel of a box in a location accurately defined with respect to a second panel connected to said first panel, said second panel being connected to said first panel by a third panel, said second and third panels being oriented parallel to each other and perpendicular to said first panel when said box is in its erected position with an edge of said second panel adjacent and parallel to said first panel, said edge engaging said strip and being restricted thereby from movement away from said third panel, said method comprising the steps of forming a flat blank containing said panels with said retaining strip integral with said second panel along said edge thereof, folding said second panel to bring it into parallel relationship with said third panel, whereby said retaining strip engages said first panel at said location, aflixing said retaining strip to said first panel at said location, and severing said strip from said second panel.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 in which said severing step includes the removal of a strip of stock from between said retaining strip and said second panel.

8. The method defined in claim 6 in which said retaining strip is glued to said first panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,105,726 Fries Jan. 18, 1938 2,714,344 Baker Aug. 2, 1955 2,727,444 Wethe Dec. 20, 1955 

